Overview

Critical Language Scholarships (CLS) provide group-based summer intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences for eight to ten weeks. CLS institute dates will be posted once finalized, but the institutes generally begin within the first three weeks in June, and end within the first three weeks in August. Levels available for each language are as follows:

• Arabic, Persian: Advanced beginning, intermediate or advanced level;
• Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Punjabi, Turkish, Urdu: Beginning, intermediate or advanced level;
• Chinese, Japanese, Russian: Intermediate or advanced level.

The intensive summer language institutes will include four to five hours of language instruction each day, five days a week. CLS participants will cover approximately one year’s worth of language study during the summer institutes. Mandatory or voluntary activities outside of formal classes may also be provided, including tutoring, peer conversation partners, and homework assignments. In addition, participants will participate in a variety of group-based cultural enrichment activities and excursions. Participants are required to attend all classes and activities provided by the institute. Students in intermediate and advanced programs should expect that a language-only pledge may be required for the entirety of the CLS Program.

Domestic air travel will be arranged for participants from their home city in the US to Washington, D.C. for a pre-departure orientation. Institute groups will travel together from Washington, DC to the institute site overseas on pre-arranged group flights. Students are required to participate in the full program, including the pre-departure orientation.

Placement Process

Site placement for programs where more than one site is offered will be made based on a variety of factors as determined by the CLS Program institutes and the Department of State. Additional oral and written language testing may be required before site placement is finalized. The CLS Program will not be able to accommodate site change requests before or during the program.

Accommodations and Meals

CLS Program institutes house students in a variety of double occupancy settings, including home-stays, dorms, hotels, and furnished apartments. Housing is determined by the CLS Program based on what is culturally appropriate and possible for a short-term summer program. All CLS Program recipients are required to live in program-designated accommodations. Meals are either prepared and provided for participants, or covered by a modest program stipend intended to cover required living expenses.

The CLS Program provides a unique opportunity for students to learn and improve their language skills by attending intensive language classes, participating in a program of cultural enrichment, and living in a target-language immersion environment. Since beginning in 2006, the CLS Program has grown from offering 163 scholarships in six languages in 2006, to offering 575 scholarships in thirteen languages in 2010.

Institute Details

To view details, click on an CLS Institute to the left. Please note that institute sites and dates are subject to change.